In the midst of the uproar in Manipur over the murder of two students who allegedly went missing in July, Chief Minister N Biren Singh declared on Saturday that the offenders will unquestionably be found.
After a video showing the remains of two students went viral on social media on Monday, Manipur has been the scene of protests ever since. The state administration had shut off mobile internet access for five days till October 1 as a result of the protests. Curfew restrictions were put in place in all Imphal Valley districts and schools in the state were closed till September 29.
“We’ll definitely find the culprits. The Manipur chief minister assured the CBI team looking into the deaths of the two youth that “everything will be fine soon.”
Ajay Bhatnagar, the Special Director of the CBI, headed a team that took a special flight to Imphal on Wednesday to begin their investigation into the alleged “kidnapping and killing” of the two students.
Teams must visit the crime scene, replicate it, gather forensic evidence, and deliver it to the Central Forensic Science Laboratory in cases that are reported to or transferred to the CBI.
The official continued, “CRPF personnel will accompany them during their visits in violence-hit areas for investigation purposes in order to ensure swift investigation and keep the safety of CBI officials on top of the list.”
The two youths had reportedly gone missing in Manipur on July 6.
Following the incident, fresh protests erupted in the state on September 25 after a video showing their bodies went viral on social media.
On Thursday afternoon, senior officers of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) held a meeting at the Manipur Police Headquarters in Imphal to discuss the law and order situation in the state. “A meeting of senior officers of CAPF was held at PHQ, Imphal to discuss the present law and order situation in the state,” the Manipur Police said in a post on ‘X’ on Thursday.
The officers were apprised of the unfortunate injuries of students as well as security personnel, police said adding that the forces discussed using minimum force in dealing with the public, especially students.
“Manipur Police appeals to the students to cooperate with law enforcement agencies in maintaining peace and bringing normalcy back early. Any miscreants taking advantage of the current situation will be firmly dealt by police. The joint security forces are making all efforts for expeditious investigation into all the cases,” the police added in the post.
At present, CBI has registered 11 FIRs, including the viral video of two young tribal women paraded naked. The investigation of all the cases is underway.
Manipur has been witnessing violence since May 3, following the protests by the Kuki and Meitei communities against the High Court’s order asking the state government to consider the inclusion of the Meitei community in the category of Scheduled Tribes (ST).
